Although gambling was frowned upon in Roman society, there were certain times particularly during festivals such as the Saturnalia, when laws were relaxed and betting was allowed.
Jactus was a popular Roman dicing game once enjoyed by the emperor Augustus. The historian Suetonius Tranquillus recorded the outline of the game, reputedly quoting from a letter written by Augustus himself:
"I dined, dear Tiberius, with the same company ; we had besides as guests Vinicius and the elder Silius. We gambled like old men during the meal both yesterday and today ; for when the dice were thrown, whoever turned up the 'dog' ¹ or a six, put a denarius in the pool for each one of the dice, and the whole was taken by anyone who threw the 'Venus' ²." (Suetonius de vitae caesarum, Augustus, LXXI.2)
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